During the month of January there were received at the Library, by purchase, 1,016 volumes and 309 pamphlets; by gift, 1,280 volumes and 3,265 pamphlets; and by exchange, 5,280 volumes and 8,393 pamphlets, making a total of 7,576 volumes and 11,967 pamphlets.

There were catalogued 3,425 volumes and 3,142 pamphlets, for which were written 9,766 cards, in addition to which 3,481 slips were written for, and 21,427 cards received from the copying machine.

The following table shows the number of readers, and the number of volumes. consulted, in both the Astor and Lenox Branches of the Library, also the number of visitors to the Print Exhibition at the Lenox during the month:

The most popular books of the month were (in non-fiction): Cram's "Ruined Abbeys of Great Britain," Beveridge's "Young Man and the World," Van Dyke's Essays in Application"; (adult fiction): Wharton's "The House of Mirth," Hichen's "The Garden of Allah," Smith's "The Woodfire in Number 3 "; (juvenile fiction): Burnett's "Little Princess," Taggart's "Wyndham Girls," Malone's "Winning His Way to West Point."

Important gifts were received in January from: Sam. P. Avery, the "Deutsche Künstler-Stein-Zeichnungen," Leipzig, and an etching on textile fabric by Bracquemond; from John Bigelow, the "Works of the Right Reverend Jonathan Shipley, D.D., Lord Bishop of St. Asaph's" (London, 1792, 2 volumes, 8°), a copy of the broadside "The whole speech of the Right Reverend Doctor Jonathan Shipley, Lord Bishop of St. Asaph, in defence of the Boston Charter," without date or place of printing but probably English work of 1774, thought by Mr. Bigelow to have been written by Benjamin Franklin; from Mr. Bigelow were received also two photographs of a hitherto undescribed statuette of Franklin, supposed to be the work of Nini, and two other photographs of two somewhat similar statuettes of Voltaire; from the estate of Heber R. Bishop two sumptuous folios "Investigations and studies in jade," privately printed in New York, 1906, at the De Vinne Press, (no. 84 of the 100 copies, bound in brown crushed levant, doublé); from the King's Printer of Canada, 5 volumes of the Debates of the House of Commons, 1905; from R. C. Jackson, 5 volumes and 8 pamphlets, relating to debates on post-office appropriation bills, 1882 to 1895 (made up from the Congressional Record); from James P. Kimball 6 wall maps of sections of Pennsylvania and Virginia; from Thomas E. Murray, Specifications for the Williamsburg Power House of the Transit Development Co., New York, 1905; from Mrs. Margaret Tufts Yardley, 2 sets of "The New Jersey Scrap Book of women writers . . . collected and arranged by Margaret Tufts Yardley," Newark, 1893 (2 volumes, 8°); from E. L. Philipp, "The truth about Wisconsin freight rates," 1904; from Lionel Samuel, a copy of Dr. B. A. Elzas' “The Jews of South Carolina from the earliest times to the present day," Philadelphia, 1905; from Philip Schuyler, 8 volumes and 21 pamphlets, including volume 3 of "The Military Gazette" (1860), "Regulations of the U. S. Military Academy at West Point," New York, 1832, etc.; from the Gemeente Museum, The Hague, "Catalogue des tableaux anciens et modernes du Musée," 1900, and Supplements, 1902 and 1904; from George W. Smith, Ralph D. Williams' "Hon. Peter White, a biographical sketch of the Lake Superior Iron Country," Cleveland; from F. A. Sorge, 8 volumes and 14 pamphlets, a continuation of his previous gifts relating to socialism, etc.; from the Spanish Cortes, 58 volumes of the Diario de las sesiones, Congreso de los Diputados; from the Wallis Memorial Association Committee, 4 volumes of the Writings of Severn Teackle Wallis, Baltimore, 1896; from Albert H. Atterbury, 2 manuscript ledgers of accounts kept by Elias Boudinot, covering the periods 1760 to 1814 and 1818 to 1821, including the period of his service as Commissary-General of prisoners during the American Revolution (the Library owning in the Emmet collection his Account Book of Household Expenses while President of the Continental Congress in 1782-3); from Frank B. Green, a manuscript genealogy of the "Descendants of Thomas Greene, Sr., of North Malden, Mass., compiled by the donor; from John Rothensteiner, 6 volumes, 10 pamphlets and 2 newspapers, and from Pedro Ilgen, 2 volumes, these two gifts being for the German American collection.

At the LENOX branch the works by Adolf von Menzel and the etchings by J. Alden Weir and the late John H. Twachtman were continued on exhibition until January 12th. On January 15th was begun a Franklin exhibition, consisting of

portraits, book and manuscripts, and including two medals loaned by Hon. John L. Cadwalader.

At the ASTOR branch the plates from Souslow's "Monuments de l'Ancienne Architecture russe" and the plates from the photographic facsimile by E. Thézard, fils, of the "Works in Architecture of Robert and James Adam" remained on view.

At HUDSON PARK branch plates representing modern paintings were exhibited; at YORKVILLE plates from the "Wilkie Gallery"; at TOMPKINS SQUARE, Racinet's "Costume Plates" (17th to 19th centuries); at RIVINGTON STREET, Hollyer's views of New York City; at 67TH STREET, Audsley's "Ornamental Arts of Japan"; at 135TH STREET, Racinet's "Costume Plates" (to the 16th century), and at TREMONT, "Old masters in painting"; at CHATHAM SQUARE a collection of color-plates of birds.

Picture bulletins and temporary collection of books on special shelves at the circulation branches were as follows: CHATHAM SQUARE, Winter, Death of President Harper, Fairy Tales; RIVINGTON STREET, Brittany, Normandy and the Channel Islands, Alexander Hamilton, Julius Cæsar; BOND STREET, City of Washington, Composers of music, Italy and France; OTTENDORFER, Mozart, Washington, Automobile show, When Manhattan was young; TOMPKINS SQUARE, Birthdays of celebrated men and women, Illustrated London News, Election map, Snow; JACKSON SQUARE, Physiology, hygiene, etc., Africa; MUHLENBERG, Astronomy; BRUCE, Holland, Manhattan new and old; RIVERSIDE, Indians, Dutch boys and girls, Puritans and Pilgrims, Shakespeare; ST. AGNES, American Literature lectures, Natural science, Eastern geography; AMSTERDAM AVENUE, Robert Burns with quotations; 96TH STREET, Washington, Interesting books in literature for young people; BLOOMINGDALE, Two famous paintings, What poems you will like; 135TH STREET, Foreign children.

In addition there were bulletins on Franklin at seventeen branches, on Lincoln at five branches, on First Aid to the Injured at two branches, and on New Books at three branches. At the Tremont branch exhibits of primitive cord-making.

The new HUDSON PARK branch building at 66 Le Roy Street, Hudson Park, was opened to the public for registration only on Wednesday January 17th. The opening exercises were held in the Assembly room, in the basement, on Wednesday January 24th at 4 P.M. and the circulation of books began on Thursday the 25th at 9 A.M. At the opening exercises the library was turned over to the city. on behalf of the Trustees by Hon. George L. Rives and accepted on behalf of the Mayor by Hon. Patrick F. McGowan, President of the Board of Aldermen. Music was furnished by pupils of Public School No. 8, and addresses were also made by Alderman Patrick P. Higgins, Alexander Hirbermann, Esq., member of the School Board, District No. 9, and Mrs. V. G. Simkhovitch of Greenwich House.

This branch forms the thirty-fifth branch in the circulation system; it is the fifteenth of those erected from the Carnegie fund and the ninth entirely new branch established by the Library, the other six Carnegie buildings providing new homes for already existing branches. It opened with 10,000 volumes on its shelves.

FRANCIS JEFFREY TO JAMES MONROE IN 1813.

The letter from Jeffrey to Monroe printed herewith was presented to the Library by Mr. Howard Townsend in 1905. At the time it was folded in a wrapper on which was written:

"A Letter from Mr. Jeffrey in 1813 to Jas. Monroe Presdt U. S. given to Mr. Bayard by Mrs. Saml Gouverneur in 1839 and by Mr. Bayard to Doctor Hd. Townsend 1854. Mr. J. then edited the Edinburgh Review." Monroe's MSS. left to Gouverneur have been in the New York Public Library since 1899, when they were presented by Hon. John L. Cadwalader.

Jeffrey made this journey to marry Charlotte Wilkes, whom he had met during a visit paid to him in London by M. Simond, a French refugée, whose wife was a sister of Charles Wilkes of New York, Charlotte being the daughter of the latter. Jeffrey sailed from Liverpool 29 August, 1813, landed at New York on 7 October following, married Miss Wilkes soon afterwards, and sailed from this city on 22 January, 1814, reaching Liverpool on 10 February.

SIR:

NEW YORK, 9TH OCTOBER, 1813.

I have the honor of enclosing to you the letters with which my excellent friend Lord Holland was kind enough to furnish me before leaving England, and which I am at all events prevented from delivering in person by the circumstances which compel me to trouble you with this application The object of that application is that I may not be sent up the country or confined very strictly to any one place of residence, and that I may be permitted to return to my own country by any opportunity that may offer, after the very simple and innocent business which has induced me to throw myself upon the liberality of this Government is concluded. When the nature of that business is stated I flatter myself that it will not only remove any suspicion of hostile or improper purposes, but produce in all good minds a disposition at least, to treat me with all possible indulgence.

In any other circumstances I should feel an insuperable objection to obtrude upon the ears of a statesman any story of private perplexity, but situated as I now am I really have no alternative, and from all that I have heard of the honorable person upon whose patience I am now trespassing, I am satisfied that there is no other quarter in which an appeal to the feelings of a gentleman could be made with more effect or interpreted with more liberality. Instead therefore of assuring you in vague or general terms, such as I have hitherto employed in all my public applications to my own Government, that my business here is entirely of a personal and domestic nature, and quite unconnected with any interest either political or commercial, I shall state to you in distinct and direct terms that I have come to your country to claim the hand of a lady to whom I have been for some